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Sunday, November 02, 2014

Recipe for Foil-Wrapped Grilled Butternut Squash with Sage (Gluten-Free, Meatless, Can Be Paleo)

You can cook this Foil-Wrapped Butternut Squash with Sage on the grill or in the oven.

(Updated with better photos, November 2014) Back in the good old days (when I had a garden), one of the plants I loved was a variety of butternut squash called Really Big Squash. This type of butternut can grow nearly two feet long (hence the name Really Big Squash!) and the extra growth is a very long neck, so there's more of the meaty part of the squash. I made this Foil-Wrapped Grilled Butternut Squash with Sage the first time with Really Big Squash, but it's just as delicious with butternut from the store, and this is another good idea for combining butternut squash with herbs.

I loved finding out how easy it was to cook squash on the grill when you don't want to heat up the house, but you could also bake the foil packets in the oven. And even though I didn't grow the squash myself this time, I was happy that I still had plenty of sage growing in the pots by my front walk, and this was a delicious way to use sage while you still have it! (You might want to read How to Peel and Cut Up a Butternut Squash before you make this.)

Butternut squash is grown in many parts of the world, but in Australia, Europe, and some parts of Asia it's called pumpkin or Butternut Pumpkin. Butternut is a winter squash, a name which refers to squash that's harvested when the skin has turned into a hard rind and which can be stored through the winter. Winter Squash are ranked as some of the world's healthiest foods, with phytonutrients, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and this versatile vegetable can be used in many dishes. And of course this tasty way to cook butternut squash is my Meatless Monday recipe suggestions for this week. (There are lots more Meatless Monday ideas tagged with the label Meatless Monday, or check Vegetarian Recipes in the recipe index. I also have a great Meatless Monday Pinterest board with ideas from blogging friends, and I feature a weekly recipe for Meatless Monday at BlogHer.com.)

Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise, and cut off the stem end and the blossom end. If it's squash from the garden, wash it first before you start cutting!

Use a sharp vegetable peeler to peel the squash. On this type of squash I had to go over it more than once in a few spots to remove the green stripes of peel. Scrape out seeds and stringy stuff around the seeds with a sharp spoon.

Cut the squash into cubes about 1 1/2 inches square. It's important to try to get the pieces all close to the same size.

Put about two cups of the squash cubes into each foil packet. If you don't have heavy-duty foil, I recommend wrapping them twice.

You want to fold over edges of the foil tightly several times, where you pull foil ends up to make the top seam of the folded packet as well as on the ends.

Grill packets about 25 minutes, turning often. You'll probably have to open one to check for doneness, and be careful not to get burned with the steam. Serve hot, with a tiny bit of butter and sea salt to season it at the very end.

And although I wasn't completely happy with the new photos for this (and cooked butternut squash isn't especially photogenic!) it's an improvement over this original photo from 2007!)

Foil-Wrapped Grilled Butternut Squash with Sage
(Makes about 4 servings, recipe created by Kalyn, with inspiration from many recipes combining butternut squash with sage.)

Ingredients:
1 very large or 2 regular size butternut squash (about 6 cups squash cubes when cut up)
3 T olive oil
30-40 large sage leaves, thinly sliced crosswise
1-2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional, but highly recommended; for Paleo use any all-purpose vegetable seasoning)
fresh ground black pepper to taste
nonstick spray, to spray foil
1-2 T butter to season at the end (optional; omit or use coconut oil for Paleo)
Sea Salt or Vege-Sal to taste, to season at the end

Instructions:

Preheat gas or charcoal grill to medium-high. You can only hold your hand there 2-3 seconds at that heat. Wash sage leaves, pat or spin dry, then cut into very thin strips.

Wash squash if needed, cut off stem and blossom ends, and cut squash in half lengthwise. Peel squash with a sharp vegetable peeler, scrape out seeds and strings with a sharp spoon, and then cut squash into cubes 1 1/2 inches square.

Put squash into large bowl and toss with olive oil, sage, Spike if using, and black pepper. Stir until squash is well-coated with oil.

Tear foil into 3 pieces about 15-18 inches long. (You will need six pieces if you're doubling the foil.) Spray the inside of each piece of foil with nonstick spray or mist with olive oil. Put about 2 cups squash cubes into each foil packet and arrange in flat layer. Pull foil edges up and fold over to make a seam on top side of the foil packet, then fold in ends, folding over tightly several times.

Put foil packets onto hot grill and cook, turning every five minutes. Check one packet after 20 minutes to see how done they are getting. I cooked my squash just about 25 minutes. They are done when squash is soft and getting slightly browned on the edges.

Toss squash with 1-2 tablespoons of butter if desired, and season with sea salt. Serve hot. This will keep in the refrigerator for a few days.

Nutritional Information?
I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you.

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This recipe was first posted for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Myriam of Once Upon a Tart.

Posts may include links to my affiliate account at Amazon.com, and this blog earns a few cents on the dollar if readers purchase the items I recommend, so thanks for supporting my blog when you shop at Amazon!

Ah its good to find a new recipe for butternut. This is my second favourite squash, the first being gem squash (a huge favourite of most South Africans).

When I first moved to this corner of the world things like squash and pumpkin were seen as 'exotic' food and was hard to come by. In the UK now it is fairly common but here in Ireland it is still quite rare, except and farmers markets and of course around Halloween when jack 'o lanterns are quite common.

Kalyn, butternut combines well both with chilli and also with honey for roasting in the oven. Also, if you just cut it in half, stuff the cavity with any mix of your liking, wrap it in foil and put it in the embers of a bbq for a while it is a wonderful meal.

Thank you, thank you! I planted them in my garden too, because I love winter squashes. However, I have never eaten or cooked a butternut - and now I know how. I did not know they were so thinned skinned that they could be peeled... I'm going to pick one tomorrow...maybe I'll check to see it they're ripe first...

Butternut is absolutely my favorite of the winter squash varieties -- not only is it easiest to peel, but so versatile. I love roasting it and then turning it into soup, or making black bean and squash chili (yes, it's so Halloween!). This grilled version looks and sounds wonderful, so that's the next thing I'll try.

I love winter squash in all its forms, and this one definitely sounds delicious. It just reminds me of fall leaves in food form! And you have me curious about the annual roundup...will sage be the second "king" of herbs? or will it be a favored vegetable this time. With my transatlantic move I am bowing out of this week's WHB, but plan to be back soon.

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